A study found that the latest fad diet pill leads to an average weight loss of 17 pounds in 22 weeks.

The dream of a miracle weight-loss supplement never seems to fade. Take a pill, lose weight — no exasperating exercise, no curbing of carbs. The weight loss market is a multibillion dollar industry in the United States; eager for an easy fix, we gobble up the pills, powders and herbs du jour that hold the promise of a slimmer waistline.

The latest magic diet pill to hit the headlines is green coffee bean extract. But unlike so many supplements that are imbued with a dose of questionable hucksterism, green coffee beans comes with an (unofficial) endorsement from celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who says it's true: green coffee bean extract can help people lose weight.

Green coffee beans are coffee beans that have not been roasted. When coffee beans are roasted, the plant compound, chlorogenic acid, is broken down. It’s thought that the chlorogenic acid has an effect on limiting glucose absorption, which in turn helps reduce weight.

In a study presented at the American Chemical Society in San Diego, researchers found that 16 overweight men and women lost an average of 17 pounds in 22 weeks when taking green coffee beans in supplement form.

That the study was funded by Applied Food Sciences, makers of a green coffee supplement, might raise a red flag or two. But Dr. Oz did his own study and found that dieting participants lost an average of two pounds per week when taking the extract, while those who did not lost an average of only one pound a week.

Oz didn't single out any one product to recommend because he says he doesn't want his name associated with any particular brand, but noted that people should look for green coffee beans extract with at least 45 percent chlorogenic acid. When looking at the ingredients, chlorogenic acid can be listed as GCA (green coffee antioxidant) or Svetol.

The extract should only be taken by adults who are 18 and older and not by women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.